Derek Meluzio | Special to PennLive

About Me:

I am a blogger covering the Hershey Bear goalies, Penn State goalies, LVC goalies, and the Harrisburg City Islanders. I grew up playing both hockey and soccer in Central, PA. I have been attending Bears games since the early 80's. I also attended the Penn State ice hockey developmental camp in the late 1980's. That is where the PSU hockey connection comes from. I am an old Hershey Wildcats fan turned City Islander supporter. My blog focuses mainly on the goaltenders for Hershey (Past and present). Goalies are a seperate breed of person so they deserve their own seperate blog! As for soccer... I cover all things related to the City Islanders and the league they play in. This is a fan blog, by a fan, for the fans. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

I guess it is a good problem to have, but coach Guy Gadowsky has three very capable goalies to choose from. How he is going to pick a starter is beyond me. View full sizeMusico during warm ups before the game against Ohio at Giant Center in Hershey, PA: photo by Derek Meluzio When asked about the goalie situation... Full story »

Matt Tendler recently concluded his second stint with the Hershey Bears. Previously he joined the Bears in 2012 when they were shorthanded due to injuries and recalls. A quick emergency fill in appearance turned into a fairly lengthy stay with the Bears as Matt would go on to sign an ATO with Hershey. View full sizeMatt Tendler with the... Full story »

Gettysburg College ice hockey fans have grown accustomed to seeing #35 Sam Shockley between the pipes. He has been the main guy in goal for the team lately but at the start of the 2013-14 season coach Eric Esser knew he would need to rely on someone else. Shockley is studying abroad and is not able to play for the Bullets.... Full story »

Many of you know that I have been covering the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League for over ten years now. That will continue again this season as I will be heading to Hersheypark Arena this week to get some photos and video from Bears camp. I hope to get my first shots of newly signed veteran David Leggio... Full story »

Once again I have received a bunch of emails from Union fans wanting to know a bit more about newly signed forward Yann Ekra. View full sizeYann Ekra playing on City Island earlier this season against the Rapids Reserves: photo by Derek Meluzio Maybe the best way to learn about a person is to find out what he has... Full story »

When you look at the Penn State ice hockey roster and the LVC ice hockey roster you see plenty of players who were born in "typical" hockey regions. Ontario, Michigan, Saskatchewan, and New York are all represented in high numbers. If you look closer though, fans in Central Pennsylvania will see some very familiar locations. View full sizeKlayton Garman (wearing... Full story »

As far as Penn State ice hockey goes, Eric Steinour has seen it all. First he played three seasons as a member of the Penn State ACHA Icers team. He was then chosen by coach Guy Gadowsky to transfer into the NCAA DI program and play his final season as a member of the Nittany Lions. View full sizeSteinour taking... Full story »

Colin Catherman and the rest of the Lebanon Valley College ice hockey team know what they are up against this coming season. They have moved into the very competitive ESCHL for 2013-14 and almost every game will be against a high level opponent or an ACHA nationally ranked team. There will be no "easy nights" for the Dutchmen and they... Full story »

City Islander rookie Matt Bahner has experienced lots of "firsts" this season. It was his first as a pro player, he recorded his first pro assist, he bagged his first pro goal, and he even recently landed on the USL-PRO Team of the Week for the first time. View full sizeMatt Bahner on City Island earlier in the season.... Full story »

Nick Noble made three saves in the match against Phoenix to earn his 23rd career victory as an "Isles Guy". That makes him the winningest goalkeeper in Harrisburg City Islander history. Nick Noble on City Island mentally preparing for a match. photo by Derek Meluzio Noble passed current assistant coach Dave Kern to take the honor. I always refer... Full story »

The City Islanders recorded a very convincing 5-1 victory last night against the Dayton Dutch Lions. Lucky Mkosana netted a hat trick and Jason Pelletier had two assists to lead the offensive charge. Mike Bullock has a comprehensive report on the match with loads of stats and great quotes. View full sizeHarrisburg during the national anthem prior to their... Full story »

The City Islanders recently released their All-Decade Team and also retired Dustin Bixler's number. Mike Bullock has some excellent coverage from those events. All players honored during the All-Decade Announcement,Ty Shipalane, Mo Oduor, and David Schofield prepare to take the field. photo by Derek Meluzio. He breaks down the list of players who made the team and also the... Full story »

Prior to the City Islander's U23 match with Newtown Pride FC I had quite a few readers email me with interest in learning more about the academy program and their results during the season. View full sizeThe City Islander U23 squad at Skyline Sports Complex for the benefit match with Newtown Pride FC. That being said I wanted to... Full story »

Matt Healy has a new mask that he will be wearing when the 2013-14 ACHA season starts in a few months. Although the mask design will be different, the focus and the outright goal for Healy will remain the same. He wants to keep the puck out of the net and win hockey games. View full sizeMatt Healy's new mask design... Full story »

Penn State Nittany Lion goalie Matt Skoff is currently participating in the Philadelphia Flyers development camp. The event runs from July 8th through the 11th. On ice activities take place at the Skate Zone in Zorhees, NJ. View full sizeMatt Skoff warming up at GIANT Center in Hershey prior to the team's game with Ohio. photo by Derek Meluzio... Full story »

There really were lots of great moments during the inaugural NCAA DI ice hockey season for the Penn State Nittany Lions. To try and put them in order and rank them would be tough. Looking at the season as a whole, the win against Wisconsin on national television was great, beating RIT on the road was amazing, seeing so many people come... Full story »

Brian Sylvestre joined the City Islanders for 2013 after spending a few seasons playing for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Brian Sylvestre on City Island playing against Philadelphia. Along with Nick Noble and David Flynn he completes what I feel is the stongest set of keepers in the entire league. Having so many great keepers and such a solid depth chart in goal is great... Full story »

The threat of rain may have kept a few people away last night but the ones who did make it out saw a great night of soccer. In fact, the rain held off right until the final whistle. View full sizeHarrisburg and Philadelphia headed out to the field for player introductions. In the end Philadelphia came away with a... Full story »

Newtown Pride FC and the the City Islanders U23 academy team put on a great show during the second match of the Father's Day double header at Skyline Sports Complex on City Island yesterday. View full sizeNewtown Pride FC & the City Islanders U23 teams during the national anthem. The City Islanders U23 team prevailed 2-0 on the scoreboard, but... Full story »

When you come to Skyline Sports Complex this Sunday for the City Islanders academy vs. Newtown Pride FC match you will be supporting a great cause. You will also see some great soccer and maybe catch a glimpse into the future of the City Islanders USL-PRO team. View full size The Harrisburg City Islanders U23 squad is coached by Rhett Goldsmith... Full story »